Road drag



Jan. 14, 1930. W.IN. cRow 5r AL 3 now mm;

Filed Oct. 17. 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 2 gflpqntoms Williawv JV, Urdu), WZ ZZiaJfl/W C'rozu,

Jan. 14, 193R w. N. CROW ET AL ROAD DRAG Filed Oct. 17', 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Ill! 0 O O WiZZzfam jV. Crow, 7 V'z'ZZz'a77v7 VT Crow,

Patented Jan. 14-, 1930 UNITED STATES'PATENT OFF1E 'WILLIAM N. CBOXV AND WILLIAM W. CROW, F CROMWELL, INDIANA ROAD DRAG Application filed October 17, 1928.

This invention relates to road drags or scrapers, and the primary object of the invention is to provide an improved device of this kind which may be used to great ad- '5 vantage in keeping roads level and in good condition, scraping off the high places and filling up the ruts and hollows.

' A further object is to provide a road drag or scraper of theabove kind which will operate with great efficiency in clearing the ditches at the sides of a road and returning the gravel or the like toward the center of the road while scraping off the high places and filling up the ruts and hollows.

Still another object is to provide an improved drag or scraper of thecabove kind which will offer a minimum amount of resistance to its forward travel when in use, and which embraces means for readily raising the forward end thereof to facilitate travel over bridges or unusual obstructions.

A further object is to provide means for varying the relation of the scraping and levelling blades as to elevation so as to secure most efficient operation of the drag in accordance with the degree of hardness or softness of the road surface.

A still further object is to provide a road drag or scraper which is extremely simple 39 and durable in construction as well as eflicient and reliable in operation.

The invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure'l is a top plan View of a road drag or scraper embodying the present invention, and operatively connected with a tractor for drawing the same over the surface of the road;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view ofthe construction'shown in Figure 1.

' Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the road drag or scraper.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the front scraper element taken on line 4'4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 55 of Figure 1.

Serial No. 313,120.

shown in Figure 6, partly broken away and I in section. Referring more in detail to the drawings, the present road drag or scraper embodies a frame consisting of a front transverse runner 5 in the nature of a beam, a rear transverse and parallel runner 6, side and central longitudinal beams 7 and 8 connecting the forward and rear runners or beams.

The under faces of the runners 5 and .6 are beveled in a downwardly and rearwardly direction, and these beveled faces are shod with metal plates 9 which extend a predetermined distance beyond the rear faces of the runners at a continued inclination.

A suitable hitch 10 is connected to the forward end of the drag or scraper for connection in any suitable manner to a tractor 11, or other means for pulling the drag.

Extending across and rigidly secured to the under sides of the longitudinal beams 7 and 8 are the supporting beams 12 and 13 of scraper blades 14 and 15, and the supporting beam 16 of a levelling blade 17. The

forward scraping element 12, 14 is set obliquely in relation to the forward end of the drag and has a forwardly curved outer end portion as at 18 which projects a material distance beyond the adjacent side of the drag frame to reach into and scrape material from the ditch at the adjacent side of the road. The second scraping element 13, 15 extends obliquely across in the opposite direction to the Oblique angle of the forward scraping element 12, 14, while the levelling element 16, 17 extends obliquely across the drag in an opposite angle to the scraping element 13, 15. It is thus apparent that the road surface will be worked toward the center of the road by the first or forward scraping element 1 2. 14. The second scraping element 18, 15 has its forward inner end 19 projecting beyond the rear inner end of the forward scraping element 12, 14 to catch the material spilled around the latter and carry it to the otheror element 16, 17 after the loose material has been distributed by the latter and a great amount has been delivered to the ruts and hollows by the scraping elements operating in advance of the levelling element. henever a slight quantity of material is spilled around the inner end of the levelling element, it will be deposited inwardly beyond the center of the road for being carried along and levelled when the drag is .utilized along the opposite side of the road and drawn in the opposite direction.

In view of the above it will be seen that we have provided a simple, durable and ellicient form of road drag by means of which a true road surface may be provided in a very short time.

Minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the rear end of the drag may be provided with lifting means including vertically adjustable supporting wheels 30. These wheels are illustrated as journaled in the rear ends of vertically swinging mounts or hangers 31 pivoted to the rear runner beam 6 adjacent opposite sides of the drag and extending rearwardly from said runner beam. Fixed on the beam 6 adjacent each wheel is a notched segment 32 carrying a pivoted hand lever 33 whose lower end is pivoted to a link 34L hinged to the rear end of the hanger 31 of such wheel. Each lever 33 has a manually releasable catch 35 cooperating with the associated segment 32 to latch the lever in either of two positions. When the levers 33 are swung upwardly, the wheels 30 are lowered to raise the rear end of the drag off of the ground, and when said levers are swung downwardly the wheels are raised so as to lower the rear end of the drag until the blade 17 engages the ground. This arrangement is useful where it is not practical to slide the rear end of the drag over the ground and when the front end of the drag is raised to tow the device from one place to another, the wheels insuring free forward travel when lowered. Moreover, this construction permits ready freeing of the rear end of the drag from obstructions during the road scraping operation. Otherwise, the construction of Figures 6 and 7 is the same as that of Figures l to 5 inclusive.

What we claim as new'is:

1. A. road drag including a pair of flexible side beam members, forward and intermediate bladed scraping elements and a bladed rear leveling element attached to said side p beam members and arranged obliquely and in zigzag relation to discharge from one to the other, and means to vertically flex said side beam members to vary the relation of said scraping and leveling elements as to elevation.

2. A road drag including a pair of side beam members, forward and intermediate bladed scraping elements and a bladed rear leveling element attached to said side beam members and arranged obliquely and in zigrelation to discharge from one to the other, and means to vertically flex said side beam members to vary the relation of said scraping and leveling elements as to elevation, said last named means embodying independently operable devices associated with the respective side beam members.

A road drag including a pair of side beam members, forward and intermediate bladed scraping elements and a bladed rear leveling element attached to said side beam members and arranged obliquely and in zigzag relation to discharge from one to the other, and means to vertically flex said side beam members to vary the relation of said craping'and leveling elements as to elevation, said last named means embodying independently operable devices associated with the respective side beam members, and each embodying a rigid longitudinal arch having its ends fixed on the opposite ends of the asso ciated beam member and a vertical adjusting screw piercing the intermediate portions of the arch and the beam member and having nuts adjustably threaded thereon above and below said arch and said beam member.

4. A road drag including a pair of side beam members, forward and intermediate bladed scraping elements and a bladed rear leveling element attached to said side beam members and arranged obliquely and in zizzag relation to discharge from one to the other, front and rear transverse runner beams secured across the ends of said side beam members respectively in advance of and behind said scraping and leveling elements, said runner beams having rearwardly and downwardly beveled lower faces, and metal plates secured to said beveled faces and pro jecting rearwardly of said runner beams at a continued inclination.

A road drag including a frame, and a number of bladed scraping elements and a bladed leveling element arranged obliquely and in zigzag relation on said frame to discharge from one to the other, and transverse runner beams on the front and rear ends of said frame, said runner beams having rearwardly and downwardly beveled lower faces shod with rearwardly projecting metal plates.

6. A road drag including a frame, and a number of bladed scraping elements and a bladed leveling element arranged obliquelyand in zizgag relation on said frame to discharge from one to the other, and transverse runner beams on the front and rear ends of said frame, said runner beams having rearwardly and downwardly beveled lower faces shod with rearwardly projecting metal plates, and means including a cable and drum carried by the front runner beam to lift the front end of the drag clear of the ground. In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

WILLIAM N. CROW. W'ILLIAM W. CROW.

Jan. 14, 1930. A. P. DAVIS GYROSCOPE SUPPORTING AND CENTERING APPARATUS Filed July 1, 1927 INVENTOR BY M I a al-M H15 ATTORNEYS 

